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February 27, 2024 Customs Halts Sale of Foodstuff After Deaths from Stampede
IFMUYONEWS

Customs Halts Sale of Foodstuff After Deaths from Stampede

The Nigeria Customs Service, has announced the suspension of the sale of foodstuffs following a stampede that reportedly killed some people at their Old Zonal Headquarters in the Yaba area of Lagos last  Friday.

The Chief Superintendent of Customs and National Public Relations Officer for Comptroller General of Customs, Abdullahi Maiwada, disclosed the suspension of the exercise in a statement on Monday.

Nigeria Customs had said it was selling seized food items at N10,000 per 25kg to alleviate the people’s suffering as a result of the current high cost of living and other economic hardships.

On Friday, a pregnant woman and six others were said to have died in a stampede after some suspected hoodlums attempted to force their way into the Yaba Customs office compound.

The Nigeria Customs, in a statement on Monday evening, said the suspension became necessary considering “the recent unfortunate event.”

“We regrettably announce the suspension of this exercise until we establish what transpired on Friday, February 23, 2024,” the NCS spokesman said.

He explained that: “The disposal of the food items got off to a smooth start at about 0800hrs. We enjoyed the cooperation of the large crowd that obliged us, giving preferences to the elderly, people living with disabilities, pregnant women, and other vulnerable Nigerians who showed up for the exercise.

“This was the case up until about 1700hrs, as attested to by the over 5,000 beneficiaries and members of the press. However, unforeseen challenges arose when we ran out of stock and announced the continuation of the exercise the following day, leading to a regrettable outcome.

“The crowd became desperate and charged through our barricades in search of rice bags inside emptied containers. In the stampede that ensued, some fatalities and injuries were regrettably recorded.”

The Customs extended its “heartfelt condolences to the families of those who lost their lives during the unfortunate incident.”

The service said it was working with health authorities to establish contact and engage directly with the victims’ families on their next steps.

February 26, 2024 CSO’s On Collision Course With Governor Hope Uzodinma in Imo
IFMUYONEWS

CSO’s On Collision Course With Governor Hope Uzodinma in Imo

Civil society organisations (CSOs) in Imo state, South-East Nigeria, have urged the state’s House of Assembly to pass a resolution compelling the State Governor, Hope Uzodimma to conduct local government elections before May 2024.

Speaking at a joint news conference in Owerri on Sunday, the groups noted that the last time Imo held LG election was in August 2018, and that even then, the set of LGA officials elected were sacked in May 2019 when Governor Hope Uzodimma came to power.

The CSOs which included the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, Christian Aid, and the Tax Justice and Governance Platform therefore noted that the people of the state are no longer progressing as they should due to the absence of leadership at the LG level.

They gave Gov. Hope Uzodimma a three-month ultimatum within which to conduct local government elections in the state.

In the statement they read at the press conference entitled “Imo State Economic Challenges and Debt Management amid Economic Uncertainties in Nigeria,” the state Coordinator of Tax Justice and Governance Platform, Mr Chibundu Uchegbu, said the need for the LG elections was long due.

Uchegbu said: “The people of the state are no longer progressing as they should due to the absence of leadership at the LG level.

“The last time Imo held LG election was in August 2018 with the set of elected LGA officials disbanded in less than one year in office – specifically in May 2019 – by a successive government.

“Since that time to date, the affairs of LG system in the state are being run by unelected officials, therefore, denying the people their democratic rights, aspirations and privileges.

“This is a clear violation of Section 7 (1) of 1999 Constitution as amended, which says “The system of local government by democratically elected local government councils is under this Constitution guaranteed; and accordingly, the government of every state shall subject to Section 8 of this Constitution, ensure their existence under a Law, which provides for the establishment, structure, composition, finance functions of such councils.”

He said that in spite of the huge sums of money injected into their treasury from the Federation Account Allocation Committee on monthly basis, LGs are not living up to their responsibilities to the people in grassroots.

“This is because the State Government prefers to use appointees to run the affairs of the LGAs,” he said.

They urged the State Government not to interfere in the activities of the LG Chairmen when they were elected to enable them to function optimally.

February 26, 2024 Over 5000 Petitions, N60bn Has Been Received Within First 100 Days – EFCC Boss
IFMUYONEWS

Over 5000 Petitions, N60bn Has Been Received Within First 100 Days – EFCC Boss

The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission; EFCC, Mr Ola Olukoyede, says the anti-graft agency received over 5,000 fraud petitions and recovered N60bn loot within its first 100 days of his assumption of office of which 3,000 has been approved for investigation.

President Bola Tinubu appointed Olukoyede EFCC chairman on October 12, 2023.

He replaced Abdurasheed Bawa, an appointee of ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, who was suspended, detained, and booted out of office by Tinubu.

Olukoyede, speaking on Saturday in Lagos as the guest lecturer at the 20th-anniversary lecture of the Human and Environmental Development Agenda Resources Centre, said the EFCC had recovered over N60bn and $10m, in less than four months since he assumed office.

He said, “When we set out to investigate, people see it as a fight between EFCC and the rest of us. It should not be so. How much will the EFCC do?

“How much will the ICPC do with its staff strength? I have less than 4,800 staff. I am talking of an agency that is serving people who are over 150 million.

“All we have to do is investigate and present the facts before the court. I will not be the one to give judgment. That is where we have collective responsibility. When you see something, you say something

“The issue is we are working as if we are not working. Upon my assumption of office between then and now, I have received over 5,000 petitions. I am not talking of just the one we received, but the one that we have checked and we discovered that there was substance in it. That is just for one agency, the EFCC.

 “As I am talking to you I have approved the investigation of over 3,000 cases in less than four months, but what is our capacity? How many staff do we have? What resources do I have access to?

“In less than four months, we secured convictions of 700 and recovered over N60bn and over $10m.

“If I am able to recover over N60bn in less than 100 days, you can imagine how much has been stolen.

“I can tell you that for the billion that has been recovered, a trillion has been stolen.”

On his part, the Chairman of HEDA, Mr. Olanrewaju Suraju, noted that the anti-corruption fight had been challenging and urged all Nigerians to join the fight.

 

“We need an effective policing system with integrity, then the court must not continue to discharge persons with corruption cases still hanging on their necks,” Suraju said.

February 25, 2024 ECOWAS Gives Reasons for Lifting Ban on B/Faso, Mali & Niger
IFMUYONEWS

ECOWAS Gives Reasons for Lifting Ban on B/Faso, Mali & Niger

The Economic Community of West African State​s (ECOWAS) says the decision to lift sanctions on Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso was based on the need to maintain regional unity and security.

D​r Omar Touray, President of the ECOWAS Commission said this at the end of the extraordinary session of the Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS on Saturday in Abuja.

He said that the authority took note of the period of Lent and the approaching month of Ramadan and the impact on citizens, adding that pleas were also received from prominent leaders including retired Gen. Yakubu Gowon.

”The authority takes note that the withdrawal will have political, social, socio economic, financial and institutional implications for the three countries as well as for ECOWAS as a region.

”The authority recall​s that within the framework of regional cooperation against terrorism, violent extremism and organised crime, the three countries benefited from about 100 million US dollars mobilised by UMR within the context of ECOWAS plan of action against terrorism.

”Moreover, some funds allocation, about 7.5 million U.S. dollars is being made towards supporting the three countries in acquiring the equipment to help their fight against terrorism.

”The withdrawal will affect security cooperation in terms of sharing intelligence and participation in regional counterterrorism initiatives.

”Such as the Accra initiative, and the Multinational Joint Task Force,’‘ he said.

Touray added that the withdrawal of the countries from the sub-regional bloc would lead to diplomatic and political isolation at the international scene where the countries have obtained support for their candidates in the contest for international positions.

”The authority recognises that the withdrawal will automatically affect the immigration status of the citizens, as they may be required to obtain visas to travel around the region.

”Citizens may no longer be able to reside or set up businesses under ECOWAS arrangement and may be subject to diverse national laws.

Even though they represent 10% of the region’s GDP, their departure will constitute a reduction of the market size of ECOWAS.

He said that the sanctions were lifted to promote trade and benefits derived from​several regional projects and programmes including the Regional Food Security Reserve.

”The regional support programme for powerful pastoralism in the Sahel, which is being funded by the World Bank to the tune of 215 million US dollars is also a project that benefits the three countries.

”The three countries also benefit from the Sahel regional irrigation support programme, which is being funded by the World Bank to the tune of 103 million US dollars.

”The three regional food systems resilient support programme in the amount of 230 million, funded by the World Bank is also benefiting the three countries.

”West African single identity and regional integration and inclusion project is another programme that the three countries benefit from.”

He said that other projects the countries benefits from are the ECOWAS regional electricity market, West African Power Pool project, which links member states to a regional electricity grid for improved access to electricity.

He said not lifting the sanction would result in the halt or the suspension of all ECOWAS projects and programmes worth more than 500 million US dollars.

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